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Sunday January 15, I left for Playa Blanca on Baru for a few days. I took with me just the bare essentials, 10 L en of water (can't have too much of that!), canned tuna, meal bars, a sunhat, sunscreen, bug spray, a pair of clothes and a bikini! I was set!!
They have these tourist guides set up where you go to Isle del Rosario, where you can snorkel or go to this aquarium and then head to Baru to eat a typical lunch that the locals on the island eat and then play on the beach till it's time to go home. It sounds all nice and a such but let me explain how it really works....
You need to get to the dock early, around 7:30 - 8 am is the best time. If you are walking from the old city, it is very close, you will run into sellers who are trying to convince you to take their boats over to the islands. If you are coming from elsewhere, you will most likely be taking a taxi right up to the dock.
Outside the gate of the dock you will find mulitiple "companies" who
Dock
You pay outside the gates for your boat, make sure they write your name down. Then you wait till they call your name and have you start filing in the boat. It was a mad house! are selling you to use their boats. Most will ask 50 - 60 MIL Pesos, that is a rip off! Bargain to as low as 35 MIL Pesos. The big boats will cost more than 35 MIL Pesos and take about double the time to get to the islands, so take the speed boats. Once you have decided which boat you will take, make sure they write your name down on the list. If this does not happen, you will most likely not be able to go unless you pay again! Also there is a porting fee of 12 MIL Pesos, this is standard.
When you get into the gate, you just sit, or stand, and wait for your name to be called. It is extremely hard to hear because there are so many people there waiting. If you can, get the name of the boat you will be riding on and remember who you bought your ticket from, this will make it easier because you can be on the look out.
They go to Baru island first and drop off the people who just wanted to to got Baru and skip out on Isle del Rosario. Something
Restaurant on boat
While getting an over view of Baru from a distance, restaurants on boats would come up and dock next to our boat and sell their goods. It was crazy! I wish I did. Don't be fooled by the pictures. Isle del Rosario is nothing special. There are no beaches there to relax at. The aquarium is nothing special and over priced and you can snorkle elsewhere for cheaper. It is over crowded, because it's just a small island and there are so many tourists there.
We left Isle del Rosario and headed to Playa Blanca for our lunch. Once lunch is over there is about an hour left for people to play on the beach before the boats head back... totally not enough time to spend on Playa Blanca! I am so lucky that I decided to stay for a few days, I would have been so bummed if I had to head back then!
Now the nicer part of the beach is down a ways from where they drop you off. I don't know if I would've known this if I was not staying there for a period of time. For that's where the renting of hammocks and tents are. Really at first, I was going to just head back that same day because I was so disappointed about how crowded and dirty it was there.
House Island
While going form one island to the next, you will see these types of houses, on an island of it's own. Very cool. Again everything was being spoken in Spanish, but I believe notable people own these But it was a Sunday so I needed to take that into consideration. I am so happy I did decide to stay. Once all the boats left, the island was so quiet and most all the people left. It made for some very relaxing days and nights! Even the next couple of days, since it was a weekday, the people coming over was a lot less than that first Sunday I arrived.
So I was the only non Argentinian that stayed at the place I stayed... which was called Todas Dios run by Alex. I was also the only Asain.. anywhere on that Island! For the most part I stood out! haha. Everyone automatically thinks I am Chinese. When I explain that I am American they get confused... so I finally say I am Korean. Then they start asking me questions about Korea! Haha, it was super funny!
Anyhow, I suggest everyone to visit Playa Blanca, Baru when they visit Columbia!
I am off to Parque Tayrona for as many as 6 days as less as 2... so I will not be with internet. I am super excited! I'm going to jungle, yes, I said I wasn't
Baru
Here you see the boats are "docking" on Baru.. there's no real dock. You may be able to tell how crowded it is too.. if you walk down the island, you will get to parts with a lot less people and it's so beautiful! going to but I can't miss out on this place, I have heard so many great things!!
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